Improved propelling apparatus



entre ntoHAnn KEARNEY, or HAVRE DE GRACE,

NEWFOUNDLAND'.

Letters Patent No. 107,384, dated September v13, 1870.

IMPROVED PROPELLING APPARATUS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame- To altwholn tt may concern.:

Be it known that I, RICHARD KEARXEY, of Havre de Grace, in the Provinceof Newfoundland, haver invented a new and valuable Improvement in Meansfor Iropelling Vessels; and. I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation'ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawing making a part ofthis specification and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation of a side elevation of myapparatus; l

Figure 2 is a plan view Aand Figure 3 isa detail showing the shape ot'the leaves of the paddles.

My invention relates to means for propelling vessels; and

`Itconsists in improvements whereby a novel and useful combination ofdevices are arranged andv adapted for moving vessels through water byhandor other y suitable power.

A ofthe drawing represents the desk of a vessel upon `which' my devicesare arranged, the portion brokenoff being the bow thereof. n

At the extreme rear end or stern of the deck, I attach raised brackets,B B l5, the object being to form rests, supports, and -journal-boxes forthe shaft C.

The shaft C rests upon the brackets above 'mentioned, and works injournal-boxes or bearings formed therein, respectivelyl At a distanceot' labout ten feet, more or less, forward from the stern of the vessel,I atx to the deck tbreestandards, D D D, which are designed'to formsupports and bearjiugstbr the crank-shalt E.

'lhecrank-shaft E is arranged to rotate in suitable bearings in thestandards D, and has attached to it the ily-wheels F F, as shown on fig.l of the drawing.

At a distance ot' about feet, more orlcss, in front ofthe standards D, lattach to the deck the stationary plates G G, which serve as means inwhich the levers K K may be pivoted, as hereinafter mentioned.

The levers K K arc pivoted, respectively, at their bases, in the platesvGr. G, as shown, while their upperA ends are, respectively, pivoted tothe levers I. I.,.in the manner shown on fig. 2.

- In one or botlrof the levers K, and connected, by the rope M, to apulley at the top ot' a lever, L, I pivot and 'arrange another orsupplementary lever, N, adapted for hand use. plementary lever is shownen ig. 2.

The levers L are, respectively, attached to thc cranks of thecrank-shaft, and pivoted with levers K, as the .drawing represents.

OO represent ptmen, attached at their front ends,

My method of arranging'this supl respectively, to cranks of theA shaftE, while their rear ends are hinged or pivoted to the bent levers P.

The levers P are, respectively, attached to the shaft C, and madeadjustable therein, up or down, b y means of the removable plates Q,afxed to said shaft by set-screws. v y My method of attaching the pitmenOto the levers P isas follows:

I hinge the pitinan to a staple or c lasp',c, that is passed around thelever, and I also arrange a wedge or slide, upon the lever inside theclasp, as shown on iig. 2. I further pass lsmall pins, d, through thelever, to serve as' stops for the movements of said clasp up and downupon said lever, allof which devices are represented on fig. 2 of thedrawing.

It R of the drawing represent my vwebs or paddles, which are,respectively, attached to the bent levers I,

t in the manner shown, and as'herenafter described.

`Ilachof said paddles consists of two quadrangular plates, hingedhorizontally to the outeredge of lever P, and arranged to fold togetherwhensaid lever is movedforward in the water, and to open like a fan whenthe same is moved rearward. The resistance ot' the water in each caseserves as the means of opening and closing.

At the upper end ot' said paddles, respectively, is a plate or bucket,S, which serves as means for retaim ing the water-upon the paddle, andpreventing its How over thc top thereof.

The webs or paddles It, when folded, are not allowed to touch eachother. Io prevent such touching, and hold them in a position to receivewaterl for vforcing them apart, I attach a bent rod, 'l, to the le vel-1), in the maimershoivmand extendv it dow-n. tg the lower end of saidlever, so arranging the same that 'it shall pass between the lower endsof said paddles when folded, and hold them asunder.

At the top of said paddles, I arrange a circular guard, U, with an arinextending to the lever P; and on cach side of said arm I atlix a spring,s. When the paddles are closing, the upper ends thereof rest against thcsprings s, and are thereby prevented from touching each other, thesprings, at the same time, serving as a yielding bed or cushion betweenthe paddles, and as aids in opening the same.

My device is usually operated by moving thelever l N by hand, but it mayalso be used by horse-power,` wind-power, or steam properly applied tothe levers, and such power may be applied at the side of the vessel, aswell as on'deck.

A pivoted lever in the form of a walking-beammay also be arranged infront of the levers upon the deck, with a ratchet-bar placcdhorizontallyon said deck, adapted to work with pinions and cogged gear connectedwith such lever. In fact, themethods ofoperating my invention are'toonuxnerousfor detail in this description; but, above all others, so faras I have tested them, I prel'er the use oTthe lever N, as above I have.stated in a previous paragraph that the leaves ot' rny paddles are flat.This statement is comparatively correct, but they'are slightly curved.The leaves ot' these paddles each show, in horizontal sect-ion, (as

they are so arranged and hinged together that, when open, a kind ofscoop is formed, which tends to gather the wat-er, and increase theresistance thereof, while, when closed, the ireeedges cannot cometogether, but curve outward from each other, in such-manner that theslightest backward motion of the paddle-frame throws them open.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to seeure by Letters Patent,s-- Y 1. The guard U, springs ws, and rod .l, in combination with thelever P and paddles R-,When constructed and arrangedl to' voperate asand for the purposes specified.

2. The clasp o, slideya, and pins ll, in combination.

